Wilkes Students Share Harvest with Helpline

Aiden Snow, Zane Walker, and Simone and Amelia Brofsky show a few of the pumpkins their 2nd grade class donated to Helpline House on Thursday, October 13th.

Vicki Milander

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND - Every year students from Wilkes Elementary visit their neighborhood farm on Day Road to discover where their food comes from and cement classroom ideas in math and science through hands-on learning.

While at Suyematsu or Morales Farms, the students are entertained and educated by members of EduCulture, learning firsthand about the importance of compost, animal husbandry, and how important air, soil, water, and sun are to the health of growing plants. Many students help plant seeds and starts during spring classroom visits and families are encouraged to participate and care for the Wilkes garden plot throughout the summer months when school is not in session. The seeds and starts come full circle (mostly in the form of corn and potatoes) when it is served in school lunches.

During their fall visit to the farm on Wednesday, October 12, Mrs. Milander's second graders were able to harvest pumpkins that were planted by seed by Wilkes students during the previous spring. Each student was able to pick out a pumpkin they could take home, plus a special pumpkin to donate to the food bank at Helpline House. The second graders enjoyed picking, washing, and weighing the pumpkins -- they were having such a great time that they lost track of it having to race back to school to make the busses home!

On Thursday, October 13, a few students helped to deliver the special "Helpline Pumpkins" from the greenhouse at Morales Farm directly to the Food Bank at Helpline. The students merrily and proudly walked their armfuls of pumpkins to awaiting cars and did so again (in reverse) from the cars to Helpline where they were greeted with smiles and thanks.